Republic of Boulder

We spent the day in Boulder visiting our daughter for Parent's Weekend. Our daughter is a Freshman at the University and Colorado. In one day I can see why she fell in love with the school. The campus is absolutely beautiful; tasteful red tile roofed buildings framed by the foothills of the Rockies. The student body is made up of bright, attractive young people.

The Boulder community is creative and liberal thinking. Such products as Cellestial Teas and Crocks started here. The shopping district of Pearl Street has many boutiques. I found out the hard way, accompanying my daughter and wife. Fortuantely I picked up a copy of the Onion from a newspaper box. I have heard of the Onion, but didn't realize that it was published in Boulder. It is a satirical paper skewing current events. One headline was Bin Laden's Mother Worried Sick. I sat on a bench on the walking street reading, laughing and crinking coffee, while they helped the GNP of the Republic of Boulder.

In the afternoon I attended the football game with my brother-in-law Brian. The CU team, nicknamed the Buffs (no they don't play naked) is loved by the students. Unfortunately they have fallen on hard times. In previous years they were nationally ranked and had been National Champions in 1990. This year they started 0-6, and had lost 10 in a row going back to the previous season. Since Pitt moved their games downtown to Heinz Field, I have forgotten how electric an on campus college football game can be. The CU stadium is located right on the campus. There are views of the mountains from the endzone. The stadium is very interesting, not feeling too big, actually almost intimate for a football stadium. It has been expanded over the years. The one side is actually a basketball field house with stands built into the side. Another seperate building is in the far end zone and it has a scoreboard attached. The Buffs pulled a big surprise and crushed Texas Tech 30-6. After the game the fans stormed the field and the marching band marched right out of the stadium and through the campus.

The Republic of Boulder does seem like a perfect island of higher education.